The Weekend team are taking a break. So this week, we’re looking back at some of our favourite pieces of the year. Elle Hunt reveals the incredible story of one man’s struggle to rebuild his life after being struck by lightning (1m35s); Amelia Dimoldenberg recounts her journey from the Chicken Shop to Vanity Fair’s Oscars party (16m32s); and Chloë Hamilton describes navigating the heartbreak of fertility – shoulder to shoulder with her twin sister (33m56s).
Aug 26, 2023•56 min
The Weekend team are taking a break. So for the next two weeks, we’re looking back at some of our favourite pieces of the year. Michelle Obama reads an exclusive extract from her book The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times (2m05s); are you a stehpinkler or a sitzpinkler? Sam Wollaston extols the virtues of sitting down to pee (28m23s); and three decades on, the only survivor of a plane crash reflects on how the trauma changed her (41m23s).
Aug 19, 2023•56 min
Marina Hyde recoils at Matt Hancock’s latest cringeworthy attempt to boost his brand (1m24s); writer Joel Snape asks whether we should worry about snacking (7m55s); and journalist Simon Hattenstone sits down with author Jacqueline Wilson to discuss rivalry, censorship – and love (14m02).
Aug 12, 2023•31 min
Tyson Fury weighs in on marriage, mental health and life as a multimillionaire in Morecambe (23m57s); John Crace looks on as the PM gaslights the UK with his North Sea plan while the world burns (1m30s); and Michelle Brasier explains why she befriended her scammer (8m42s)
Aug 05, 2023•46 min
Viv Anderson: the phenomenal Black footballer who changed England for ever (11m39s), the chequered history of the TV makeover show (1m23s), and the slow running revolution: how to really enjoy the race (26m53s).
Jul 29, 2023•38 min
Charlotte Edwardes meets Kit Connor (11m12s); Marina Hyde implores us to stay angry about the Post Office scandal (1m32s); and Lily Scherlis explores the genesis of ‘boundaries’ in the world of therapy (35m25s)
Jul 22, 2023•1 hr
Cillian Murphy on Oppenheimer, sex scenes and self-doubt; Marina Hyde asks what’s going on with the Captain Tom spa complex; and forget the blowout wedding, couples explain how they tied the knot on a budget.
Jul 15, 2023•42 min
We’re doing something a bit different this week and bringing you an extended extract from Joe Gibson’s memoir, Seventeen, about the troubling affair with a teacher that changed his life (10m53s); and after Rishi Sunak is quick to decry the Australian cricket team, Marina is quick to point out: well, that’s just not cricket…(1m27s).
Jul 08, 2023•52 min
Simon Pegg on joining the A-list elite and embracing home life in Blighty (1m32s); Marina Hyde implores us to ignore Lord Lebedev’s links to the KGB and just focus on his successes (16m46s); and writer Joel Snape reveals all you need to know about 2023’s hottest health topic: inflammation (24m48s) This podcast was amended on 2 July 2023. The wrong EP was uploaded. This audio has now been removed and has been replaced with the correct audio.
Jul 01, 2023•40 min
Marina Hyde unpacks the curse of the Harry and Meghan media empire (1m22s); in the age of AI, is it cheating if you’ve got a bot on the side? (8m16s); and award-winning actor and Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis on shifting the spotlight towards the deaf community (18m50s)
Jun 24, 2023•35 min
England footballer turned BBC pundit; sad, confused, deluded: Marina Hyde spares a thought for the friends of Boris Johnson at this difficult time; and science writer David Robson on why delayed gratification may not be worth waiting for.
Jun 17, 2023•49 min
Oscar-nominated Juno star and trans actor Elliot Page opens up about Hollywood, abuse and coming out (18m41s); Marina Hyde implores Holly Willoughby to lose the sanctimony as she returns to daytime TV (1m26s); and as he finally reveals his true identity, Henry Morris (aka The Secret Tory) tells Zoe Williams why it was time to come clean (8m31s)
Jun 10, 2023•43 min
The Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears reflects on the new wave of queer culture – and throwing the ultimate party (8m32s); Marina Hyde on how difficult it is being a philanthropist like Jeff Bezos (1m30s); and Joanna Biggs tries to find meaning in a post-divorce world (19m32s)
Jun 03, 2023•37 min
Succession creator, Jesse Armstrong, on why the show nearly didn’t happen (1m24s), Marina Hyde is amused by the idea of the home secretary being too famous to attend an online speed awareness course (15m15s), and a hostage negotiator reveals the secrets that could transform your life (23m32s).
May 27, 2023•37 min
Nothing is more important to the country right now than Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield’s alleged rift, and Marina Hyde is absolutely here for it (1m30s); in the wake of a racially-charged backlash, Halle Bailey talks about overcoming self-doubt and her soulmate sister Chlöe (8m15s); and author Kat Lister explores the stigma of grieving partners’ sexuality and the loss of sexual intimacy (25m56s).
May 20, 2023•36 min
Award-winning British actor Ruth Wilson considers #MeToo hypocrisy, the violence of cosmetic surgery and why she steers clear of social media (24m02s); Marina Hyde grapples with last week’s coronation protest power-play from the Met (1m32s); and Elle Hunt reveals the incredible story of one man’s struggle to rebuild his life after being struck by lightning (8m48s)
May 13, 2023•47 min
Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Kesha discusses her most raw and confrontational album to date (9m31s); as the Post Office scandal continues to unfold, Marina Hyde asks why there is a deafening silence on social media (1m35s); and as the nation celebrates the new monarch, Caroline Davies considers the historic coronations that went awry (26m44s)
May 06, 2023•34 min
Amelia Dimoldenberg recounts her journey from the Chicken Shop to Vanity Fair’s Oscars party (1m19s). Artificial Intelligence keeps Google bosses up at night - so how worried should we be (18m36s)? And three decades on, the sole survivor of a plane crash reflects on how the trauma changed her (28m19s)
Apr 29, 2023•43 min
Champion javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread reveals how competitive sport saved her (1m34s); Marina Hyde asks why the coronation is being overshadowed by Meghan, Harry and a quiche (17m32s); and from the West End stage to care homes campaigner, Ruthie Henshall talks to Sam Wollaston (25m04s)
Apr 22, 2023•41 min
Marina Hyde asks why sell-by dates don’t apply to the world’s most powerful men; Rachael Healy explores the ugly new side of theatre audiences; and Canadian musician Feist reflects on the impact of adopting her daughter, and then losing her father, had on her songwriting.
Apr 15, 2023•35 min
Marina Hyde asks who really are the ‘people in the real world’ that politicians speak so highly of (1m54s), Rhik Sammader discovers what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person (10m14s), and actor Charles Dance reflects on his big break and humble beginnings (25m25s)
Apr 08, 2023•38 min
Marina Hyde confesses that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the Gwyneth Paltrow trial (1m32s); from Camden council care worker to trailblazing icon, we revisit an interview with Paul O’Grady from 2017 (9m34s); and Zoe Williams laments the revival of the ‘men-are-trash’ narrative (24m15s).
Apr 01, 2023•31 min
With Partygate and the former PM back in the news, we ask if we’ve finally reached peak Boris (1m35s)? With one billion streams, what makes John Cooper Clarke’s I Wanna Be Yours possibly the world’s favourite poem (8m27s)? And Viv Groskop navigates the mixed messages of the women’s fiftysomethings clothing market (21m40s)
Mar 25, 2023•35 min
We are delighted to bring you the first episode in our second series of Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph. Awards season reached its climax with the Oscars this week. Despite the Academy Awards being the biggest event in Hollywood, are viewers really that bothered? Chanté speaks to Michael Schulman, the author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears. If you like what you hear, search “Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph” wherever you get your podcasts.
Mar 19, 2023•28 min
It-girl-turned-campaigner Paris Hilton speaks up about her stolen childhood, years of trauma, and taking down the ‘troubled teen industry’ (1m41s), Steve Rose investigates the mysterious case of the missing Academy Awards (30m35s), and the great serotonin debate: do depression treatments work by boosting the happy hormone? (43m14s)
Mar 18, 2023•58 min
Zoe Williams reacts to the news that Boris Johnson plans to nominate his father for a knighthood (1m28s), what Oscar-nominated film The Whale says about how society truly views fat people (7m), and how volunteering in a hospice changed Anna Tims’ perspective on life – and death (20m27s)
Mar 11, 2023•36 min
Costume designer Jenny Beavan reveals why fashion is usually the last thing on her mind (1m33s), writer Alaina Demopoulos dismantles the misconception that Gen Z are tech-savvy (15m28s), and actor Katy Wix recalls the near-death experience that changed her relationship with her father forever (23m16s)
Mar 04, 2023•37 min
Writer and actor Jamie Demetriou reveals how an admin mixup paved the way for an unconventional career trajectory (1m33s), the groups of women unmasking online cheats and ghosters (18m37s), and Sam Wollaston extols the virtues of sitting down to pee (27m45s)
Feb 25, 2023•41 min
Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett reflects on her life-changing role in Tár (1m25s), food writer Bee Wilson investigates the real impact of energy drinks on consumers (21m38s), and David Robson on what a ground-breaking study says about our power to shape our future selves (48m09s)
Feb 18, 2023•56 min
Model, activist and writer, Munroe Bergdorf on how she fell back in love with life (28m27s), Marina Hyde on the country’s worrying relationship with toxic ex-prime ministers (1m25s), and a Harvard professor’s lifelong work reveals the key to our health and happiness (9m46).
Feb 11, 2023•58 min
